I’ve just been mistaken as a singer. This is pertinent for a few reasons.
At the time of writing this blog, I’m sitting in a European café the night before a client’s C-Suite event. This is my favourite piece of Wise & Zeal writing because it’s a personal note about my learnings as a leader of a team, and of a business. This year I’ve noticed more how my career learnings have increased my own awareness as a business leader, and it’s interesting to see how those learnings have intertwined with my mistaken singer identity.
- While my singing has definitely improved, as my frequent renditions of “From now on” at our October offsite will attest, I’m pitchy especially at all the wrong notes which counters the bellow of my enthusiasm. Now, maybe if I cared about my singing as much as we do about our work, maybe then the team wouldn’t wince at my forthright singing (bellowing). Caring about the work we do is fundamental to our success. I know others may say the same thing, but this year it became apparent that it’s actually one of our inherent values, not just a way of operating.
At Symantec I lead a team to create a branded experience during which we defined the Brilliant Basics that we would consistently deliver to establish trust, and deliver value that matters. As a growing team it’s important for us to scale efficiently and so we took the time to define our Brilliant Basics.
In doing so though we discovered that caring about our delivery was a value that our team holds dear, and it shows itself specifically in a couple of ways. Consistently the team does more than our clients expect them to. They proactively resolve issues, plan at least two steps ahead, and are accurate to a fault. I hate surprises, because it could mean we missed something we should have anticipated, but thanks to this team, the only surprise I now get is the team’s enjoyment of our group TikTok dances. I’m good with that.
- In previous leadership roles I witnessed the impact of hiring fast, often spending more time hiring and onboarding than leading the rest of the team. I don’t envy established bands who lose musicians, such as one of my personal favourites – Linkin Park (LP) – finding talented musicians who fit the band’s ethos, brand and style can take years and sometimes fans don’t react well – as LP experienced bringing in a new lead singer after losing Chester Bennington.
Our working environment can be seen as nirvana. We provide a genuinely flexible working environment, in which the team manages their days as they need to – as long as they deliver great results. We all work remotely without any pressure to meet in person or to be in an office – and we’ll fund travel to work together remotely, in addition to our quarterly offsites, if the team wants to. But we’re not nirvana. We need strategic thinkers with an exceptional level of hands on delivery, and proactive innovative problem solvers who care passionately about making sure their client is seen to be a marketing hero in their organisation. That’s how we got our respected business reputation, which is what we work hard to maintain.
Our team has built a strong relationship with their clients and asking to work with certain people. Hiring people who fit the expectations of our clients and how we work is hard.
Recently I’ve invested time working with our culture coach Karen Ancell to evolve how we hire for our way of working. To augment our interview processes we’ll do our own auditions, and use tools such as aptitude testing to help us hire for a mutual fit for us and the candidates. We’ve also extended the probation period because it takes a few months to get out of the honeymoon phase and it’s better we mutually get to experience all aspects to make a fair mutual decision.
- Many years ago I played Mole in a school musical. I remember standing next to the piano as I was encouraged to ‘sing from my toes’. I didn’t. I squeaked my way through my solo pieces while Mum and Dad smiled at me not hearing my words in the 2nd row. I can sing, within my limits, but trying to carry every tune won’t work.
- Growing a team as a team leader is very different to growing a team as a business owner. This year I have handed over more responsibilities and growth opportunities to my leadership team while reducing some of the day-to-day tasks so they can work in their Zone of Genius, and in tandem we can grow our future leaders. I’ve learnt, from experience rather than just learning, that if you create a vision that inspires your team, and they see what can be achieved because they care to want to achieve it, then no goal is too big. That’s what this magic creates. That’s why we take on challenging client stretch goals and do what we do best – delivering results that make our clients a hero in their business.
How was I mistaken for a singer? I was trying to explain I’m a Celiac… but they heard ‘singer’. The joys of a noisy crowded café.
From myself and the team to you all – may your New Year be filled with everything you hold dear, and may you have the opportunity to invest your time in the things that inspire you.
PS If you know of any musicals I can audition for, DM me.
